The proportion of the population vaccinated in Israel against COVID-19 in 2021 was significantly higher than that of the annual uptake rates of the influenza vaccine over time. Understanding the ...reasons behind the high vaccination rate may facilitate maintaining these rates if annual COVID-19 vaccination is required. Using a mixed-methods design, we characterized the individuals who were vaccinated and studied their attitudes toward vaccines and motivators for the COVID-19 vaccine. The first part was a cross-sectional study of adults aged 65 and over who were vaccinated against COVID-19. We stratified them according to their annual influenza vaccination patterns, and compared variables such as age, gender, health status, and timing of COVID-19 vaccination. The second part consisted of a questionnaire administered to a subsample of the above population, inquiring about vaccine hesitancy, motivators for vaccination, and intention to be vaccinated in the future. We found that motivating factors for COVID-19 vaccination are similar between those who regularly vaccinate against influenza and those who don't. Internal motivators such as perceived vaccine effectiveness and the desire to protect others were stronger than external rewards or sanctions. High adherence to annual influenza vaccine recommendations was associated with earlier COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Respondents with lower adherence to influenza vaccines were more likely to demonstrate higher levels of vaccine hesitancy. These factors should be addressed in future vaccination campaigns.
Introduction
Drug prior authorization (PA) imposes a bureaucratic and economic burden on healthcare service providers and payers. A novel automated PA system may improve these drawbacks.
Methods
An ...historical cohort study from a large health maintenance organization in Israel, comparing manual versus automated PA mechanisms for diabetes mellitus (DM) drugs: sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs (GLP1-A). We compared patients with DM, whose first drug applications were approved using the automated system, with similar patients whose first drug applications were approved by manual PA. The primary endpoint was the time elapsed from application approval to prescription filling (accessibility time). Secondary endpoints included the prescription filling rate at 7 and 30 days.
Results
In total, 1371 automated approved prescriptions and 1240 manually approved prescriptions were included in the analysis. Median accessibility time was one day (interquartile range (IQR) 0–5) with automated PA for both GLP1-A and SGLT2i, compared with four days (IQR 1–9) and three days (IQR 1–8), respectively, with the manual PA (p < 0.001). Eighty-four percent of GLP1-A automated PA approvals were filled within seven days compared with 70% with manual PA (p < 0.001). Similar results were seen with SGLT2i (80% vs. 72%, p < 0.008). No differences were observed at 30 days post-approval. Using logistic regression, odds for GLP1-A and SGLT2i prescription filling within seven days were 2.36 and 1.53 folds higher (respectively) with automated PA (p < 0.01).
Conclusions
Automated PA system improved access time to SGLT2i/GLP1-A seven days post-approval compared to manual PA.
Purpose: Rehabilitation of patients with severe traumatic brain injury may include auditory stimuli. Hampering the function of the external, middle ear or Eustachian tube generates a conductive ...auditory deficit up to 35 dB that may potentially hinder auditory rehabilitation. The objective was to evaluate the incidence of conductive hearing impediments among patients with severe brain injury.
Methods: The cross-section study included adults with severe brain injury hospitalized in a rehabilitation center. The patients presented with a prolonged vegetative state, were dependent on mechanical ventilation and gastrostomy tube feeding. Assessment of external, middle ear and Eustachian tube included otoscopy, tympanometry, nasopharyngoscopy, gag reflex and soft palate evaluations.
Results: Nineteen patients (38 ears) were evaluated: 14 males and 5 females, aged 18-93 years (average 59). All patients had a normal nasopharynx, lacked a gag reflex, palatal movements or supraglottic sensation. Eighteen ears (47%) had middle ear effusion, 26 (68%) ears had cerumen impaction, and 14 (37%) had both.
Conclusions: Many patients with severe brain injury have reversible and treatable impairments that cause potential conductive hearing loss. Routine otoscopic examination and treatment if required, that is, removal of impacted cerumen or middle ear drainage, have rehabilitating and general health benefits.
Implications for rehabilitation
Auditory stimulation was suggested for rehabilitation in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Many patients have cerumen and/or otitis media with effusion causing conductive hearing impairment as well as general health issues.
Both aural impediments are diagnosed by routine otoscopy, are easily treated, and may affect rehabilitation.
The aim of this study was to assess the clinical significance of Dientamoeba fragilis (DF) and Blastocystis species (Bs) in human stool.
Observational study of patients ≥18 years, who were tested by ...stool multiplex PCR for bacteria and parasites between April 2019 and March 2022. Although DF and Bs are part of the PCR kit, these results are not routinely reported to the patient or the ordering physician. The main outcomes were the incidence of symptoms during 14 days before the referral to stool PCR test, and the incidence of several clinical outcomes during 60 days after the PCR test (symptoms, referrals to further evaluation, prescription of symptomatic, or antibiotic treatment).
A total of 27 918 patients were tested by stool PCR during the 3 study years. A total of 6215 (22.3%) and 5337 (19.2%) were positive for DF and Bs, respectively. The incidence of symptoms before the test was similar in those positive for Bs or DF and those with all-negative PCR (adjusted OR and 95% CI of 0.87 0.80-0.95 and 0.82 0.76-0.88 for Bs and DF, respectively), whereas significantly higher (2.47 2.23-2.73) in those positive for the other multiplex PCR assay components. During the 60 days after the test, the prevalence of any of the outcomes was similar in those positive for Bs or DF and those with negative PCR (adjusted OR and 95% CI of 0.92 0.83-1.02 and 0.89 0.81-0.97 for symptoms, 0.84 0.75-0.94 and 0.93 0.85-1.01 for referrals, 0.88 0.75-1.03 and 0.82 0.71-0.94 for symptomatic treatment, and 0.88 0.75-1.02 and 0.86 0.75-0.98 for antibiotic treatment in the Bs and DF positive individuals, respectively). The PCR cycle threshold was not associated with any of the outcomes.
Positive stool PCR for DF or Bs was not associated with any of the measured clinical outcomes.
Abstract
Background
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a major reservoir of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in healthcare facilities, contributing to rapid regional dissemination of ...CRE.
Methods
In 2008, The Israeli National Center for Infection Control (NCIC) initiated a coordinated, comprehensive intervention in Israel's LTCFs, encompassing approximately 25000 beds in over 300 institutions. The intervention included implementation of population-tailored contact precautions and early detection of carriers. The NCIC established a real-time repository of all CRE carriers and events of acquisition, supervised information exchange between healthcare facilities and directed intervention at the institutional level during local outbreaks. CRE incidence was determined based on detection of CRE, either during LTFC stay or on admission to another facility. Prevalence was determined by a series of 5 cross-sectional surveys commenced between 2008 and 2015.
Results
From January 2009 through December 2015, 5265 patients acquired CRE in LTCFs. During the study period, incidence of acquisition declined in all facility types, to approximately 50% of the baseline (P < .001). The number of skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes experiencing ≥ 5 CRE acquisitions annually decreased from 35 to 11 during this period. The point prevalence of newly detected CRE carriage in post-acute care hospitals decreased from 12.3% in the survey commenced in 2008 to 0.8% in that begun in 2015 (P < .001).
Conclusions
A national, coordinated intervention resulted in a sustained decrease in CRE incidence and prevalence in LTCFs. These results support the assumption that centrally coordinated intervention is an essential public health tool in reducing CRE in healthcare facilities.
A national intervention in Israeli long-term care facilities led to a 50% decline in incidence of acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) over 7 years. CRE prevalence in post-acute care hospitals decreased from 12.3% to 0.8% from 2008 to 2015.
Background
Nutrition therapy plans (NTPs) in discharge summaries of tube‐fed patients transferred from acute‐care hospitals to rehabilitation centers are fundamental for continuity of care. This ...study examined the presence and quality of NTPs in discharge summaries of tube‐fed patients.
Methods
This cross‐sectional study was based on data retrieved from electronic medical records. The outcome measures were the presence of NTPs in discharge summaries, the presence of key elements of the NTPs, and the level of compatibility between multiple NTPs per discharge summary prepared by different health professionals. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the number of NTPs, the presence of key elements, and the degree of compatibility between NTPs for the same patient.
Results
A total of 100 discharge summaries of tube‐fed patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital during 2015–2017 were identified. The majority (91%) of discharge summaries included at least one NTP; 57 included more than one. Variance in the presence of key elements was observed in 165 NTPs prepared by physicians, nurses, and dietitians. Water amount and nutrition route were least reported by dietitians (6.3% and 9.4%, respectively), compared with physicians (77.6% and 81%) and nurses (77.3% and 62.7%). However, nutrition details were reported more frequently by dietitians (65.6%) than physicians (20.7%) and nurses (32%). Low compatibility was observed between dietitians and both nurses and physicians, in the range of 0%–26%.
Conclusion
Large discrepancies were found between NTPs for the same patient prepared by dietitians, physicians, and/or nurses, and a portion of patients arrived without any NTP.
The Eustachian tube (ET) has a major role in the middle ear (ME) pressure homeostasis. ET dysfunction is the accepted paradigm for pressure-related ME disorders. We studied the ME status in patients ...with severely diminished ET opening abilities, and anticipated to find ME disorders in most of them.
ME status was evaluated in unconscious adults, who were hospitalized in a rehabilitation center with severe brain damage, requiring tracheotomy and gastrostomy. These patients were unable to swallow, produce valsalva, yawn, and needed oral suctioning. Examination included fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy, gag reflex and soft palate assessments, otoscopy, and tympanometry.
Nineteen patients (38 ears) were evaluated: 14 men and 5 women, aged 18 to 93 years (average 59). Duration of gastrostomy and tracheotomy were between 3 months and 18 years. All the patients lacked gag reflex, palatal movements, or supraglottic sensation. Eighteen ears (47%) had otitis media with effusion (OME) (versus ∼3% in the general population, p = 0.00001), none had significant tympanic membrane atelectasis, but 20 (53%) ears were normal. Twenty-two ears (59%) had tympanometry types B/C and 16 (41%) had type A. Cerumen impaction incidence (26 ears, 68%) was significantly higher than in normal adults (10%), mentally retarded (36%), and nursing homes residents (57%).
A dysfunctional ET predisposed ME disorders. Yet, ∼50% of the ears were normal, in contrast to the current paradigm. This implies that ME pressure homeostasis is maintained by factors that can compensate for ET dysfunction. Treating cerumen impaction and OME may be beneficial for rehabilitation.
Mechanically ventilated patients are weaned during acute care hospitalization when it is determined that they are ready for withdrawal. If weaning fails, patients are admitted to a rehabilitation ...medical center for continued supportive care and additional weaning attempts. This study's objective is to increase the success rate of weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), and to shorten the overall weaning period by tailoring the patient's caloric intake according to their individually measured energy needs.
We designed a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial to be conducted among PMV patients undergoing routine ventilation-weaning attempts. Patients in the intervention arm will be fed according to energy needs determined by calorimetry. Patients in the control arm will be fed according to the standard of care, namely the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) guidelines. Each patient will undergo up to five weaning attempts. Study outcomes will include successful weaning rate, time to successful weaning, and 3–12 months survival rate.
This trial aims to examine the safety and efficacy of a nutritional diet based on an individual's measured caloric needs in terms of weaning rates and weaning time. We hypothesize that calorimetry-based nutrition plan will prove to be superior in both success rate and time to successful weaning compared to the standard nutrition plan based on the resting energy expenditure (REE) formula during the weaning process.
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04825717.
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